Google is rolling out new local business search units across the EEA, and if your listing isn't set up properly you'll be missing from the exact spot where nearby customers now start looking. These units put local businesses front and centre in the results, which is good news if you've done the groundwork and bad news if you haven't. The fix is straightforward: get your Google Business Profile complete, accurate and active, and you give yourself the best shot at showing up when someone in your area searches for what you sell.
This change came out of the Digital Markets Act, which pushed Google to give more room to local and specialised results rather than sending everyone to its own products. In practice that means more space for real businesses like yours. But space only helps if you're claiming it.
What Google local business search units actually mean for you
When someone searches for a plumber, a landscaper or a cafe near them, Google now shows dedicated units featuring local businesses. These sit high on the page, often above the old organic links. If your profile is strong, you appear. If it's thin, out of date or unclaimed, you get skipped while a competitor down the road gets the call.
The businesses that win here aren't the biggest. They're the ones whose information Google trusts. A complete profile, consistent details, recent reviews and regular activity all tell Google you're open, real and worth showing.
The cost of being invisible
Think about how you look for anything local now. You type it into your phone, you tap one of the first results, you rarely scroll far. Your customers do exactly the same. If you're not in that top band of local results, you're not in the running, and you'll never know how many people picked someone else.
That's the quiet cost. No angry email, no complaint, just phones that don't ring and enquiries that go elsewhere. Over a year that adds up to real money walking out the door. I've run businesses for 19 years and the pattern is always the same: the owners who treat "getting found" as optional are the ones wondering why work has gone quiet.
They helped us with our website, SEO and advertising and made everything far more professional. It has led directly to us attracting more clients. — Kay Zucker, DPL Landscapes
That result came from doing the basics properly, not from any trick. The same approach works for these new local units.
How to optimise your listing for Google's local units
Here's the practical work. None of it is complicated, but all of it matters.
- Claim and verify your Google Business Profile. If you haven't done this, do it today. An unverified profile won't compete.
- Fill in every field. Business name, exact address, phone, opening hours, website, categories, services and a proper description. Gaps cost you visibility.
- Pick the right primary category. Be specific. "Landscape gardener" beats "gardener" if that's what you actually do. Add relevant secondary categories too.
- Keep your details identical everywhere. Your name, address and phone number should match exactly across your website, social profiles and directories. Mismatches confuse Google.
- Add real photos. Your premises, your team, your work. Fresh images signal an active business.
- Ask for reviews and reply to them. Recent, genuine reviews are one of the strongest local signals there is. Reply to every one, good or bad.
- Post updates regularly. Offers, news, jobs you've finished. Activity tells Google you're open for business.
Your website matters just as much. Google cross-checks your profile against your site, so your address and services need to line up, and the site needs to load fast and work on a phone. If yours doesn't, our web design work sorts that out. For the wider job of ranking in your area, our SEO service ties your profile, your site and your content together so they pull in the same direction. And if you want to appear even when the top spots are competitive, Google Ads can put you there while your organic presence builds.
At 07 Heaven Marketing we handle this end to end, because a listing on its own only gets you so far. It's the combination of a strong profile, a fast site and steady content that keeps Essex customers finding you.
Start with the free, high-impact stuff
You don't need a budget to begin. Claiming your profile, completing it and asking a handful of happy customers for reviews costs nothing but an afternoon. Do that this week and you'll already be ahead of most competitors who leave their listing half-finished and forget about it.
Common questions
How do I get my business into Google local search units
Claim and verify your Google Business Profile, complete every field, choose accurate categories and gather genuine reviews. Google shows the businesses it trusts most, and a full, active profile is how you earn that trust.
Are Google local business search units the same as the map pack
They're related. The new EEA units give local businesses more prominent placement in results, driven by the same signals as the map pack: profile completeness, proximity, relevance and reviews. Optimising for one helps the other.
Do I still need a website if I have a Google Business Profile
Yes. Google checks your website to confirm your profile is legitimate, and customers who find you will click through to learn more and get in touch. A slow or missing site undermines even a strong profile.
Book a free discovery call and we'll check whether your business is set up to show in Google's new local units.